The Boxer
by SWChika
Summary: Just a goofy 11x4 follow up. Alex and Jo work out their feelings about recent events and other issues in unconventional ways.


**Author's Notes: **Guys, I still have a lot of feelings about 11x04 and season 11 in general with the path Alex has been taken down. It's killing me how much of a crappy hand he gets dealt and how he gets treated by others only to have the story get dropped. I'm a tongue in cheek kind of girl so please note that this story is very...cheeky. I've never written anything like this & it's not to be taken seriously.

_"I am just a poor boy._

_Though my story's seldom told,"_

_~Paul Simon_

_"The Boxer"_

* * *

><p>Jo paced in the kitchen as she waited for Alex to get home. She was eager to see how his first day back went and to tell him about her awesome day in surgery with Pierce. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and was checking her phone for messages when she heard the front door open. "In here," she called without looking up.<p>

Alex strolled into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator, looking good in a black t-shirt and faded jeans, "Did you eat?"

Jo's mouth hung open as her eyes widened, "Hello?"

Alex looked around the open door to glance at her, "Um, hey..."

Jo jutted her neck out, encouraging him to speak. When he didn't she rolled her eyes, "How was your day?"

Alex quirked a brow at her, "Why?"

Jo rubbed her face, "Why? _Why?_ We're a couple. Aren't we supposed to talk to each other about major life events that happen to each other?"

Alex closed the refrigerator, holding a beer and a piece of string cheese, "What are you talking about?"

"How did your first day back go?"

Alex stiffened slightly, "It was fine. Crazy surgery with a complicated family story. You know, the usual."

Jo titled her head, "Why are you being weird?"

Alex rolled his eyes and walked out of the room with Jo on his heels, "I'm not being weird, I just don't want to talk about it alright?"

He collapsed on the couch and rubbed his forehead as Jo stood with her arms crossed studying him, "So we're just not gonna talk about any of this? Pretend everything is okay?"

Alex sighed and jerked his head towards her in agitation, "It _is_ okay. I have a job now. You have a job. We're together and we're fine."

Jo sighed and sat down, "Fine. We're fine now. Until we throw this up in each other's face years down the road when we're arguing about something else."

"What are you talking about?"

"How long have Robbins and Torres been together?"

Alex looked at the ceiling in thought, "Well, Robbins came when I was in my second year. They came to my wedding together. So six years, I think. Somewhere around there."

"Uh huh, and they are still fighting about crap that happened when they first started dating. We can't do that."

Alex gave a humorless chuckle, "We are _not_ Robbins and Torres."

Jo gestured with her hands, "Exactly, and I don't want to be." She then collapsed on the couch with her body angled towards him, "So how was your day? Really?"

Alex closed in on himself, "I don't want to talk about it."

Jo quickly stood, "I know what you need. Come on."

He hurriedly followed her out of the living room, but paused in the entry way as she walked to the kitchen. "We're not going upstairs?" He asked dumbfounded.

Jo continued on to the back door and called over her shoulder, "Nope!"

He followed her outside and stopped in his tracks when he saw a punching bag hanging from the frame of an old swing set, "When did this get here?"

"I got it about a week ago I think. I once had a therapist that had me throw ice on the street and watch it shatter. I had to yell things that made me angry or frustrated while I did it." She glanced over at Alex, "It worked really well, but I've kinda graduated from throwing ice cubes."

He smirked at her, "Who helped you put it up?"

Jo gave a confused look, "I didn't need any help."

He watched as she went to the shed and called behind her, "You know that freakish strength freaks me out sometimes."

She walked back to him holding two pairs of gloves, "Save it for the bag." She held out a pair to him, "This should be fun for you. Relive some of that high school glory."

Alex furrowed his brows at her, "I wrestled."

"Oh, sorry. You never talk about it so I forget. Same thing anyway."

"No, it's not," Alex said with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Okay fine. You do know what to do though, right? Do the gloves fit?"

Alex rolled his eyes, "Yes and yes. Am I going first?"

Jo nodded and held the bag, "Alright, ready!"

Alex took a step back and tilted his head to the side, "Jo?"

She didn't look up from her position, "Yeah?"

"I can't...you can't spot for me! I don't want to mess up and hit you."

Jo straightened up and looked at him quizzically, "I trust you. I know you won't."

Alex rubbed his head, "It just...I don't want to swing towards you. Just move."

Jo stepped back and stretched her arms, "Fine. Why don't we take turns?"

"Fine."

Jo stretched her hamstrings, "Remember you have to say something you're frustrated about or angry about each time you hit the bag or it doesn't work."

"Okay. You first."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him, "Fine." She got in a stance and hit the bag solidly, "You made me go first!"

Alex grabbed the bag, "Seriously? That's what you start with?"

Jo shrugged her shoulders, "It's what I'm frustrated with right now."

Alex nodded and stepped back. He connected with his right fist, "I got fired."

Jo stood by with her mitts on her knees in a crouched position. She barked out, "And who are you pissed at for that?"

Alex straightened up giving a perplexed face, "You are really freaky right now. Do you know that?"

Jo stood up fully, "Come on Alex, to work through it you have to give all of your anger to the bag. Now who are you pissed at?"

"This is dumb."

"I won't get mad Alex. Hand to God, whatever you say I won't get mad. I will get mad if you call this dumb again or go back in the house without trying."

"Fine." Alex then punched the bag hard, "You have a big mouth." He punched it again, "Lebakes didn't hear me out." He punched with his left, "And it was for nothing."

"Okay, okay, good. Save some for your next turn," she gave him a small smile.

Alex returned the smile for a second, "This does feel good."

Jo nodded as she took her turn, "Bailey got the damn seat."

Alex threw a punch, "Unanimously."

Jo looked up, "What?" And Alex's nod she took a punch, "Bailey got it unanimously." She hit the bag again, "And they told you that."

Alex took a punch, "Robbins lied to me about the vote. And Bailey told Edwards the truth."

Jo hit the bag solidly, "Steph told you." She then jabbed it again harder, "My friends _suck!"_

Alex connected hard, "_My_ friends suck."

Jo nodded before hitting it again and again, "Your friends do suck. They piss down your back and tell you it's raining. And you let them do it."

Alex grabbed the bag with a wry smile, "What?"

"Move!" Alex stepped back quickly as she swung again, "You don't stand up for yourself! And you should."

She looked at him as she wiped sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. He kept eye contact with her as he hit the bag again, "I forgive too easy."

"Yes!"

He stared at the bag before punching it again, "I don't tell people what I think."

"Yes!"

He hit it twice in fast succession, "You drive me crazy!"

"Why?"

"You don't let things drop."

Jo grabbed the bag and steadied it before punching again, "You drive me crazy cause you let things drop!"

Alex looked at her questioningly, "I think it's better to just let stuff go. I can't change it."

Jo looked at him lovingly, "I know you can't, but you should tell people how you feel instead of allowing it to eat you alive. I've told you this before, you push stuff aside when you shouldn't."

"Fine." He stood back to hit the bag again, but paused to look at her, "You still promise you won't get mad? No matter what comes out?"

Jo nodded, "I promise I won't. I want to hear it because I want to work through whatever is going on."

Alex nodded hesitantly before hitting the bag, "You didn't listen to me about Peckwell."

Jo's eyes widened in surprise as she steadied the bag and asked softly, "When?"

Alex motioned for her to move and began hitting the bag repeatedly, "When I told you he was bad news. You didn't listen. I knew he was bad news. I knew he wasn't good for you."

Jo stood with her mouth agape briefly and crossed her arms over her chest, "Alex..."

Alex's eyes widened, "You promised you wouldn't get pissed!"

Jo snickered slightly, "I'm not pissed, I'm confused. When did you tell me that?"

"Well. Um. You knew I didn't like him!" He said with an accusatory voice.

"I thought it was because I wasn't hanging out with you as much." Jo bit her lip in thought for a second, "Wait, how big of a feeling did you have? Did you see him as a...," she trailed off unable to finish the thought.

Alex's eyes widened in horror, "No! No, of course not. If I had thought he was going to hit you I would have been trailing you twenty-four seven to make sure you were okay. I thought my feelings about him was just because I was jealous that he made a move on you before I could."

Jo nodded and set herself to hit the bag before she straightened and looked at Alex as understanding dawned, "Wait, you had feelings for me before I started seeing him?"

Alex shrugged, "Yeah. Haven't we talked about this before?"

Jo shook her head and crouched again before punching the bag, "No. We never talked about it. You should have told me."

Alex nodded, "I know."

Jo took another punch, "You yelled at me after I'd been assaulted. You called me an idiot."

Alex stepped towards her and ran his gloves over his head, "Yeah and I would probably do it again. You could have gotten really hurt. You could have been arrested. I was scared for you. And seeing you hurt like that made me crazy."

Jo smiled softly, "I could tell. Still, yelling wasn't nice. I was barely holding it together."

Alex nodded, "Yeah okay."

Jo smiled a little wider, "I still love that you cared that much. I've never had a friend I could run to before. It was nice to have someone I could depend on that cared enough to yell."

Alex smirked, "I can yell whenever you need me to."

Jo laughed, "I'll keep that in mind." She looked at the bag, "Who's turn is it?"

Alex readied himself, "I'm not sure but I have one." Jo took a step back and Alex connected hard, "You don't tell me about your past."

Jo sighed as she took a punch, "You don't tell me about your past. I've learned more about it from Jimmy than from you."

"You go through my mail."

"I go through _our_ mail and just happen to see your stuff. You let your friends kick me out of bed while I'm naked."

Alex smirked, "Admit it, that's kinda funny now." Jo glared at him, "Okay, it's not funny yet for you. Go ahead and punch the bag over me being insensitive."

Jo laughed as she punched the bag, "Your turn."

Alex hesitated before hitting the bag hard, "You don't say you love me."

Jo felt on the verge of tears, "What?"

Alex shrugged, "You've never said it."

Jo nodded slightly, "Do you have any doubts..."

Alex shook his head, "God Jo, no I don't. It would just be nice to hear it sometimes you know?"

Jo nodded, "I'll work on that."

Alex watched her warily as she stared blankly at the fence, "Jo?"

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Shut up. This is what I wanted. It's been over a year Alex, you should be frustrated with me. And I want to know about it. I'm gonna try..."

"You don't have to say anything if you can't. I know you love me, you show me every day."

Jo smiled unguardedly at him, "Thank you." She pulled back to hit the bag, "You've been feeling this for a year and never said anything!"

Alex chuckled, "I don't dwell on it, if that makes you feel better."

Jo gave a flirty smile, "Slightly." They stood in silence just staring at each other briefly before Jo added, "Anything else you wanna let the bag have?"

Alex sighed slightly, "I don't know Jo, I feel like I've already said too much."

Jo shook her head, "Nope. We need to give everything up. I'm tired of all this crap happening and we don't talk about it and go on like everything's fine and..."

Alex took a step back and hit the bag solidly several times in fast succession, "You don't want to marry me."

Jo stood in surprise holding eye contact with him, "When did I ever say that?"

"I told you to tell me if you didn't want to get married and you said you didn't!"

Jo crossed her arms, "Did you not hear the rest of what I said?"

"I heard you say I was grieving. Which okay, maybe you were right in some ways," He took in a breath as his eyes lowered to the ground, "but it doesn't change the fact that I want to marry you."

Jo closed the gap between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. She waited for his eyes to meet hers, but they remained focused on a spot on the ground beyond her left shoulder, "Alex?" She smiled softly as his hurt eyes met hers, "I said I wasn't ready. And I wasn't then and I'm not yet ready now. Doesn't mean I won't ever be. And if I do decide I want to get married one day...I want it to be to you. I'm just not there yet, okay? I need more time."

Alex nodded, "Okay."

Jo kissed him softly, "Whenever I dream of my future, it's with you. Kids...Thanksgivings...When I accept my first Harper Avery," she grinned playfully and smiled brightly when he grinned back at her. "It's with you."

Alex stared deeply at her, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Jo nodded and whispered softly, "Me too. And I don't ever want to find out." Alex kissed her deeply as he lifted her higher. She wrapped her legs around him instinctively as he carried her back into the house.


End file.
